Escape from a children's storybook world in this creepy AF adventure.
Sleepytime Village is the story of a neglectful, workaholic father who makes one wrong choice too many and becomes trapped in a children’s storybook reality, haunted by the residents of Sleepytime Village, its formless narrator and visions of his childhood. What is the Village, what does it want from him, and how can he escape?
It’s also a creepy AF classic style point & click adventure game.
It’s also a creepy AF classic style point & click adventure game.
"A point and click game with gorgeous graphics, an interesting story, great voice acting and challenging but fair puzzles!"
Adventure Games Podcast
"Had me shrieking in both horror and delight. It went in directions only a crazy mind can conjure. An unsettling game that will stick with you."
Yak Wax Lips
Is Rufus safe?
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Sleepytime Village is inspired by games like Monkey Island and Broken Sword, and TV shows such as In The Night Garden, Moon & Me and Life on Mars. You’ll awake in a mysterious children’s storybook village, with clues and puzzles driving you forward to learn why you ended up here and - more importantly - how to get out!
What’s in the basement?
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In that search, you’ll be following cryptic clues and solving perplexing puzzles throughout the village: from the colourful village square and its inhabitants living in their strange little houses, to an underground cave world and the grim broken toy cemetery – plus many, many more across more than 70 playable scenes, and dozens more strange creatures, toys and landscapes.
As Rufus, you’ll meet the strange inhabitants of the village and try to pacify their wants though collecting and using unexpected objects across strange locations; delving deep into underground catacombs, mourning in a toy graveyard, meeting the sun and moon up in the clouds, and lots more as you try and escape the colourful, creepy village and discover just why you were trapped in this place, and what your past and future determine... oh and watch out for Mr Ghostbones.
As Rufus, you’ll meet the strange inhabitants of the village and try to pacify their wants though collecting and using unexpected objects across strange locations; delving deep into underground catacombs, mourning in a toy graveyard, meeting the sun and moon up in the clouds, and lots more as you try and escape the colourful, creepy village and discover just why you were trapped in this place, and what your past and future determine... oh and watch out for Mr Ghostbones.
Wakey wakey Rufus!
Appropriately, the game is a family affair. The characters are all based on drawings by writer / composer Steven Horry’s daughter, created between the ages of 3 and 5 and interpreted by Ukrainian artist Yulia Lapko. We figured the best way to create children’s storybook characters that would appeal to kids but freak out adults was to actually work with a child - have you ever watched the Bedtime Hour on CBeebies? Trust us, it’s trippy and it’s terrifying. Don’t! Google! Collywobble! It has been a source of joy and encouragement to see her drawings turned first into art by Yulia, and then bought to animated life by Creative Director/Developer James Lightfoot.
Steve, his daughter, Ken, Yulia and James
The leading secondary character is a seemingly omniscient narrator, who prods Rufus through the game, but as the game progresses, the player will begin to question if the narrator is all they seem to be. Rufus must explore the many locations in Sleepytime Village, finding objects that don't belong there which when collected transport him back to the 'real world' in the form of a flashback so he can get some insight into his past and recent present. The game will track the choices the player makes and provide multiple paths depending on if the lessons the village is trying to teach are being taken on board.
Dare you enter the village?
Dare you enter the village?
It's also a comic
Steve Horry, writer and creator of the Sleepytime Village concept and graphic novel tells us how it came to be.
"Sleepytime Village started life as a graphic novel. It’s funny - when you become a parent for the first time you have all these ideals, you’re not going to use the TV as a crutch, they won’t eat this, they won’t eat that. But the reality is, on your umpteenth night of small hours wake-ups, you’re going to use whatever tools are available.
"Sleepytime Village started life as a graphic novel. It’s funny - when you become a parent for the first time you have all these ideals, you’re not going to use the TV as a crutch, they won’t eat this, they won’t eat that. But the reality is, on your umpteenth night of small hours wake-ups, you’re going to use whatever tools are available.
Steve Horry, writer and creator of Sleepytime Village concept and Graphic Novel
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CBeebies became one of those tools, and it’s genuinely marvellous. The best of the Beeb can be found on CBeebies. Even the theme tunes. I found myself kind of hooked on the Bedtime Hour, which is where all the surrealism can be found. In The Night Garden in particular is quite, quite mad, but beguiling. Eventually it started seeping into my thoughts, and an initial - perfectly sane, thank you very much - idea about what would happen if you woke up In The Night Garden developed from that one line elevator pitch of ‘Life on Mars but he wakes up In The Night Garden.’
My friend and frequent collaborator Ken Reynolds then basically did the editor thing of prodding at me until that one liner became a story, and then that story became a script. For me it encapsulates a lot of feelings around learning that parenthood requires a HELL of a lot of responsibility, about sustaining the natural creativity of childhood, and about finding balance in life and work. |
The bulk of the book was finished a while ago, but I realised it needed an additional key scene. Yulia Lapko, our artist, was in the middle of relocating from Ukraine to Cambridge - for obvious reasons - so that understandably delayed work for a period, but we’ve recommenced now and the book should be over to our publisher before the end of the year and hopefully out into the world not long after.
A page from the graphic novel.
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One of the most exciting things about both the book and the game has been involving my daughter. She’s a keen artist and gamer, constantly drawing, and most of the Villagers are based on her designs. She's really loved seeing the project develop."
Another page from the graphic novel. Both game and book can be experienced in isolation, but they work as as companion pieces.
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So there you have it! Get involved and check out Sleepytime Village! We're really looking forward to bringing this to life through Kickstarter in April.
Trailer
In Game Screenshots
Cover art and promo art
